| Infinite Crisis | |
|---|---|
 Cover ofInfinite Crisis #1 (December 2005). Art byCrisis on Infinite Earths' original artistGeorge Pérez | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Limited series |
| Publication date | December 2005 – June 2006 |
| No. of issues | 7 |
| Main characters | |
| Creative team | |
| Created by |
|
| Written by | Geoff Johns |
| Pencillers | |
| Inker | Andy Lanning |
| Colorists |
|
| Collected editions | |
| Infinite Crisis (hardcover) | ISBN 1-4012-0959-9 |
| Infinite Crisis (softcover) | ISBN 1-4012-1060-0 |
"Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published byDC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issuecomic booklimited series written byGeoff Johns and illustrated byPhil Jimenez,George Pérez,Ivan Reis, andJerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books. The main miniseries debuted in December 2005, and each issue was released with two variant covers: one by Pérez and one byJim Lee and Sandra Hope.
The series storyline was asequel to DC's 1985 limited seriesCrisis on Infinite Earths, which "rebooted" much of the DC continuity in an effort to fix 50 years of allegedly contradictory character history. It revisited characters and concepts fromCrisis, including the existence of DC'sMultiverse. Some of the characters featured werealternate versions of comic icons such as an alternateSuperman namedKal-L, who came from a parallel universe calledEarth-Two. A major theme was the nature of heroism, contrasting the often dark and conflicted modern-day heroes with memories of "lighter" and comparatively more noble and collegial heroes ofAmerican comic books'earlier days.
Infinite Crisis #1 was ranked first in the top 300 comics for October 2005 with pre-order sales of 249,265. This was almost double the second ranked comicHouse of M #7, which had pre-order sales of 134,429.[1]Infinite Crisis #2 was also the top seller in top 300 comics for November 2005 with pre-order sales of 207,564.[2]
The plot begins when, inCrisis on Infinite Earths,Kal-L (the Superman of pre-Crisis Earth-Two), theSuperboy of Earth Prime,Alexander Luthor Jr. of pre-Crisis Earth-Three, andLois Lane Kent of pre-Crisis Earth-Two voluntarily sequestered themselves in "paradise". DC officially began leading up to the newCrisis with aone-shot issueCountdown to Infinite Crisis, followed by four six-issue limited series that tied into and culminated inInfinite Crisis.
Once theCrisis was completed, DC used theOne Year Later event to move the narratives of most of its DC Universe series forward by one year. The weekly series52 began publication in May 2006, and depicts some of the events which occurred betweenInfinite Crisis andOne Year Later.
In June 2008, a third series (Final Crisis), set immediately following the conclusion ofCountdown, began.
Infinite Crisis was announced in March 2005. The event was kicked off with the release ofCountdown to Infinite Crisis.Countdown to Infinite Crisis was followed by four six-issuelimited series:The OMAC Project,Rann–Thanagar War,Day of Vengeance, andVillains United, as well as a four-partlimited seriesDC Special: The Return of Donna Troy. These first four limited series each had a special tie-in issue, released at monthly intervals during theInfinite Crisis event.
As with many large-scale comic crossovers,Infinite Crisis featured a number of tie-ins. Before the event was announced, books such asAdam Strange andIdentity Crisis were being described as part of bigger plans. AfterCountdown, several books were identified as tie-ins to the four mini-series. Thus, althoughInfinite Crisis itself is only seven issues long, its plot elements appeared in dozens of publications.
Some of these books were of direct and major importance, such as theSuperman: Sacrifice andJLA: Crisis of Conscience storylines, the latter of which ended with the Justice League's lunarWatchtower being destroyed, leading directly intoInfinite Crisis #1. Another notable tie-in isBatman: Under the Hood, which features the return of the long-dead secondRobin,Jason Todd, as theantiheroRed Hood.
DC Comics executive editorDan DiDio stated thatInfinite Crisis was being hinted at in various stories for two years prior to its launch, starting with the "death" ofDonna Troy.[3]
WithCountdown to Infinite Crisis,Infinite Crisis began to visibly affect DC's editorial policy.Mark Waid signed an exclusive contract with DC, receiving a similar editorial role. DC replaced its official decades-old logo (the "DC Bullet") with a new one (the "DC spin") that debuted in the first issue ofDC Special: The Return of Donna Troy.
Aside from marking a major editorial shift within DC Comics,Infinite Crisis was a return to large company-wide crossovers of a sort that had been uncommon since the downturn of the comic industry in the 1990s.
The story begins in the wake of the four lead-inlimited series, withSuperman,Wonder Woman, andBatman feuding, theJLA Watchtower destroyed, and the heroes of the world all facing a variety of menaces. Over this backdrop,Kal-L (theEarth-Two Superman), along withEarth-Two's Lois Lane,Earth-Three'sAlexander Luthor Jr., andSuperboy-Prime escape from thepocket universe to which they had initially fled at the end ofCrisis on Infinite Earths.[4] Kal-L seeks out his cousin,Power Girl, also a survivor of Earth-Two. Believing Lois' health will improve on her native world, he hopes to replace the current Earth with Earth-Two, which he considers perfect.[5][6]
Kal-L tries to enlist Batman's support, stating that the post-Crisis Earth's inherent "bad" nature caused Batman's recent mistrust and hostility. Batman refuses and tries to use hiskryptonite ring. This fails as the kryptonite is not native to Kal-L's universe, and Superman destroys it with his heat-vision. Afterward, Batman learns Superboy-Prime destroyed the JLA Watchtower.[7]
Alexander reveals to Power Girl that he and Superboy-Prime had been leaving their "paradise" for some time, manipulating events to help create an inter-dimensional tuning fork. Using theAnti-Monitor's remains and captured heroes and villains attuned to former universes, Alex restores Earth-Two, unpopulated except for the Earth-Two heroes transported there.[8]
Superboy-Prime attacksConner Kent, this world's Superboy. Multiple super-teams intervene. Superboy-Prime killsTeen Titans membersPantha,Baby Wildebeest, andBushido and maimsRisk, ripping off his right arm. TheFlashes andKid Flash (Bart Allen) force Prime into theSpeed Force, assisted by the speedsters already within it.Jay Garrick, the only speedster left behind, says the Speed Force is now gone.[8][9]
Seeking to create a perfect world, Alexander restores many alternate Earths. When Earth-Two Lois dies of old age, an aggrieved Kal-L and the younger post-Crisis Superman Kal-El fight until Wonder Woman separates them.[10][11][12] Bart Allen (wearingBarry Allen's costume and aged to adulthood) emerges from the Speed Force, warning that he and the other speedsters were unable to hold Superboy-Prime, who returns wearing Anti-Monitor inspired armor that stores yellow sun radiation to empower him, making him even stronger.
Batman's strike force destroysBrother Eye, a satellite AI created by Batman that had gone rogue and begun transforming civilians into nano-infused robots geared to hunt down and exterminate supers. Alexander selects and merges alternate Earths, trying to create a "perfect" Earth, untilFirestorm blocks his efforts. Conner,Nightwing, andWonder Girl release the Tower's prisoners.[13][14] Fighting each other, Conner and Superboy-Prime collide with the tower, destroying it. The multiple Earths recombine into a "New Earth" as Conner dies in Wonder Girl's arms. Power Girl soon arrives and asks Kal-El what happened to Lois. The answer causes her to break down prompting her to ask Kal-L why. He answers her simply, telling her it was because he chose the wrong Superboy to condemn and the wrong Superboy to condone.
When a horde of supervillains attack Metropolis,[15] heroes, current and retired, fly off to the rescue, and they are joined by theNational Guard. The battle results in multiple deaths on both sides, including many by Superboy-Prime himself, who kills villains and heroes alike. During the battle, Superboy-Prime takes off to destroyOa, planning to collapse the universe in a big bang event, and recreate it with himself as the only superhero. Superboy-Prime is slowed down by a 300-mile thick wall of willpower created by theGreen Lantern Corps, but he kills thirty-two Green Lanterns before Kal-L and Kal-El carry him toward a kryptonite field surrounding the remnants ofKrypton. The Supermen fly Superboy through Krypton's red sun Rao, destroying his armor and causing all three Kryptonians' powers to diminish. Falling to the sentient planet (and Green Lantern Corps member)Mogo, they fight. Kal-El finally knocks Superboy-Prime out before succumbing to kryptonite poisoning, and the older Superman Kal-L dies of his injuries.
Back on Earth, Batman, struggling with Superboy's death and Nightwing's severe injuries sustained during the Metropolis battle, contemplates shooting Alex. Batman is dissuaded by Wonder Woman. Alex manages to escape.[16]
Wonder Woman, Batman, andSuperman later meet up inGotham City. Wonder Woman plans to find out who she is. Batman plans a similar journey of self-discovery, revisiting the training of his youth, this time withDick Grayson, now healthier, and withTim Drake joining him. Superman retires from super heroics until his powers return, focusing his career as a journalist in the meantime.[17]
Hiding in an alley inGotham City and making new plans, Alexander Luthor is found byLex Luthor and theJoker. The Joker mutilates Alexander by spraying acid onto his face, then electrifies it, and kills Alexander by shooting him as Lex mocks him.
The Green Lantern Corps imprison Superboy-Prime inside a redSun-Eater. The series ends with him carving anS into his chest and declaring that he has escaped from worse prisons than this.[18]
| Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infinite Crisis | Infinite Crisis #1–7 | December 2006 | 978-1401210601 |
| Absolute Infinite Crisis | Infinite Crisis #1–7 | December 2016 | 978-1401265359 |
| Day of Vengeance | Day of Vengeance #1–6,Action Comics #826,Adventures of Superman #639,Superman #216 | November 2005 | 978-1401208400 |
| The OMAC Project | The OMAC Project #1–6,Countdown to Infinite Crisis,Wonder Woman #219 | January 2006 | 978-1845762292 |
| Rann–Thanagar War | Rann–Thanagar War #1–6 | March 2006 | 978-1845762315 |
| Villains United | Villains United #1–6 | April 2006 | 978-1845762322 |
| Superman: Infinite Crisis | Infinite Crisis Secret Files & Origins,Infinite Crisis #5,Superman #226,Action Comics #836,Adventures of Superman #649 | August 2006 | 978-1845763428 |
| Superman: Sacrifice | Superman #218-220,Adventures of Superman #642-643,Action Comics #829,Wonder Woman #219-220 | January 2006 | 978-1401209193 |
| JLA: Crisis of Conscience | JLA #115-119 | May 2006 | 978-1845762797 |
| JLA: World Without a Justice League | JLA #120-125 | August 2006 | 978-1845763350 |
| Infinite Crisis: Companion | Day of Vengeance: Infinite Crisis Special,The OMAC Project: Infinite Crisis Special,Rann–Thanagar War: Infinite Crisis Special,Villains United: Infinite Crisis Special, | October 2006 | 978-1401209223 |
| Infinite Crisis Omnibus | Action Comics #826, 829,Adventures Of Superman #639, 642,Countdown To Infinite Crisis,Day Of Vengeance #1-6,Day Of Vengeance Infinite Crisis Special,JLA #115-119, Infinite Crisis #1-7,Infinite Crisis Secret Files,The OMAC Project #1-6,The OMAC Project Infinite Crisis Special,Rann-Thanagar War #1-6,The Rann-Thanagar Infinite Crisis Special,Superman #216, 219,Villains United #1-6,Villains United Infinite Crisis Special,Wonder Woman #219 | June 2012 | 978-1401235024 |
Thehardcover collecting all seven issues ofInfinite Crisis included changes in coloring, as well as, more significantly, alterations indialogue, most of which relate to hints to the re-emergence of theDC Multiverse.[19][20]Also changed is the two-page spread near the end of the book, where a newGeorge Pérez image is substituted. Four additional pages of art byPhil Jimenez were added, who also illustrated new cover art for the dust jacket of hardcover collection. An interview section included as an afterword explains the reasoning behind some of these alterations.
A number of series were cancelled with the "One Year Later" jump. Some ended outright, likeBatgirl,Gotham Central, andBatman: Gotham Knights, while others were suspended and restarted later with new volumes, notablyJLA,JSA,Flash, andWonder Woman. Additionally,Adventures of Superman returned to its original title ofSuperman, while the book that had previously been coming out asSuperman since 1987 was canceled, thus making the Superman line's two books,Superman andAction Comics, match the Batman linesBatman andDetective Comics (in addition to the shared titleSuperman/Batman.)
InDark Multiverse: Infinite Crisis, afterTed Kord takes overCheckmate when he killsMaxwell Lord, he manages to subvert most of Alexander Luthor's plans before confronting Luthor and Superboy-Prime directly.
Ace Books, under the imprint of theBerkley Publishing Group and published by thePenguin Group, released an October 2006 novelization adaptation of the series written byGreg Cox, with an introduction byMark Waid, and cover art designed by Georg Brewer and illustrated byDaniel Acuña.[21] The novel was primarily adapted from the seven-issues mini-series published byDC Comics (December 2005 to June 2006). Additional materials on the book was adapted from:
GraphicAudio produced an audiobook of the novelization ofInfinite Crisis. The audiobook spans two volumes with 6 CDs each and features a full cast, music and sound effects. Volume 1 and 2 were released in May–July 2007.[22]
Amultiplayer online battle arena video game adaptation loosely based on the comic book series was developed byTurbine, Inc. and released in 2015.
